The Duel
by Blackmage23
Summary: Two forces of nature collide. A Dark Lord of the Sith and Young Keyblade Master. They clash, a duel of epic proportions. Both will push and test each other's limits, both won't stop until the other is dead. Who can win this duel? OneShot!


**Some people like to listen to music during this kinda stuff so I'll leave a list of what I listened to:**

**Subhuman (DMC 5)**

**Crimson Cloud (DMC 5)**

**Literally any dark Billie Eilish song**

**Duel of Fates (Star Wars)**

**Anakin vs Obi-Wan (take a guess)**

As the shuttle landed on the landing zone outside the Rebel Base, Vader could hear the screech of the Alarms and the screams of terror from the rebel troops. Their fear only served to make him strong. The man who was once Anakin Skywalker let out a particularly long, raspy breath. He faced his most unknown challenge yet. A Keyblade Wielder. He recalled his days reading through the Holocrons in the archive and skimming through the piece on Keyblade Wielders. Their unpredictability, their fast, acrobatic fighting style, overwhelming magic and a small connection to The Force that many of them could not notice. Both Master Yoda and Master Qui-Gon had likened it to the connection that Vader's old master: Obi-Wan Kenobi had to the force. Very small, almost not enough to be trained. But very much there.

Many battalions of Stormtroopers followed The Dark Lord into battle. The Keyblade Master had given the rebels away. His connection to the force may have been small, but it was highly unique, making him easy to find. Vader rose from his seat and walked down the open ramp, igniting his burning red blade. A thousand stormtroopers were at his back, ready to infiltrate the bases of Yavin 4 and finally crush the rebellion. Ship after ship touched down behind Vader, their numbers grew and grew. Confident in his troops, Vader stepped forward. His armour may have limited his movement but Vader never ceased to strike fear into the hearts of those who crossed his path. No man, no fearless hero was able to be in his presence without feeling even a tinge of dread. But as he stopped his advance, he was met with a sight that came as a surprise to The Sith Lord.

No army met him at the entrance, no ships were used as a trap, no explosives, nothing Vader had expected. No, what Vader saw may have insulted him if he did not know the man standing in front of him. The man staring him down like he was just another person. His clothes were unique, nothing like any planets fashion he'd ever seen. And he'd been to many planets, even survived Dathomir. He held a strange blade, long and silver. Curved at the end instead of pointed. It was thick and had dips at symmetrical intervals on the blade. The hilt was black and thin, with an open space in a circular guard. The boy himself had green eyes and a small nose, his face completed with a small mouth and an intense gaze. His hair was grey and slicked back. Despite his overall strange appearance, Vader could not deny the sheer force of the power this man was exuding. It was like the first time he had seen his Master Palpatine at full strength, only this time he could not gauge how powerful the boy was. A small glance saw that many of the stormtroopers were hesitant to advance, be it fear of traps or fear of the boy he faced.

After examining the boys gaze, Vader realised one thing about him. He'd seen death. Seen loss. Seen and felt pain. Both internal and external. The boy was a broken fountain of emotion, once he had been a jokester, filled with happiness. But now? Vader theorised that he no longer poured water from the faucets but merely left them bone dry. For the first time in his years of wearing the armour, truly, for the first time in the close to 20 years of his name Vader, he realised something. Vader felt fear.

The Master stepped forward, his blade held at his waist. He eyed the tower in black armour, this man, this legend that had wrought terror across the galaxy. Whose fearsome deeds were known even to Mickey and Yen Sid. The Master understood who he faced, the damage he could do and the power he held. The Master let out a long breath, he closed his eyes before speaking his first words to The Dark Lord of the Sith.

He let his Key disappear, "So, Lord Vader. I can tell from your posture and those 'lively' eyes that your legend precedes you."

Vader's raspy breathing lessened, "You would mock me, Keyblade Master? I had hoped that you would have more decorum."

The Keyblade Master nodded, "I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean any disrespect, Lord Vader."

If they visible, Vader's eyes would have squinted, "I would ask your name, young Keyblade Master."

He smiled at Vader, "My name is Master Riku, of the Destiny Islands. I understand you were once called Anakin Skywalker."

Vader visibly tensed, "Anakin Skywalker is dead. I am all that remains."

Riku nodded understandingly, "Yes, I heard from your former Master: Ben Kenobi. Out of respect for your power, I'll address you as Vader."

Vader appreciated that, "My troopers will take the Rebel Base, Master Riku. And when we do, we will execute every single Rebel on this planet, including you. My forces are too much for the base to handle."

Riku smirked at Vader, "You're right Lord Vader. The Rebels are stretched thin as it is, and with the bulk of their forces leading the attack on The Death Star, you could take this base easily and crush the rebel forces in an hour."

Vader stepped closer to Riku, "Then why do you stand in my path?"

Riku raised his blade into the air, "Because I'm here to turn the tables. Mega Flare!"

What followed was a heat almost comparable to Vader's lava dip on Mustafar. Almost. The Dark Lord looked into the air, a massive ball of fire spewed balls of molten rock and flame. Hundreds of Vader's soldiers were set ablaze, their screams and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Vader remained still, cold, unmoving, like stone. Their suffering didn't end however, as the ball of fire entered the crowd of stormtroopers and exploded in a grand ball of flame. Not many troops survived, most were ashes, those who survived were either slowly dying or fleeing for their lives. Vader stared down the Keyblade Master, originally he had gauged him as merciful. But now… he wasn't sure. Now, all he knew was that he wasn't one to be trifled with.

Vader noticed Riku's expression, forlorn, "I wish I didn't have to do that."

Vader saw the sadness in the Masters eyes, killing was never his forte, nor was it something he enjoyed. Nevertheless, he acted out of necessity. Something Vader respected, "I'll be sure to tell their families of your remorse."

Riku let out a small grunt, "Let's just get down to business." Riku summoned his blade and advanced forward. His speed was surprising to the Dark Lord. Fast but not unseeable, he reacted fast enough to block the blade. Vader used the Force to push Riku away, sending him careening back. Riku recovered his footing and stood his ground. Riku held his blade forward.

"Firaga!" A huge ball of flame left his Keyblade, moving at a quick speed toward the man in dark armour. Using tutaminis, Vader stopped the fire in its tracks. He sent it flying back toward the Keyblade Master, who blocked it with his blade. When the particles of flame had dissipated, Riku saw Vader creating a ball of lightning. He noticed that Vader made sure none of the lightning touched his hands or body. He fired it forward, Riku used Dark Roll to dash through the ball of lightning. He ran toward the The Dark Lord and clashed blades with him. Vader jerked back and swung his saber overhead at Riku. The Keyblade Master stepped to the side and swung his blade in an upward motion, he was sent flying back when Vader pushed his hands out to his sides, using Repulse. Vader didn't wait for Riku to come to him however, he approached the Keyblade Master as quickly as his armour would allow. Riku had recovered fast and pressed the attack, slashing from all directions to try to catch Vader's openings. The Sith Lord would not give him the satisfaction, expertly blocking all of his strikes with his Lightsaber.

Letting out a grunt, Riku leapt over Vader and swung his blade full force into Vader's back and landing the first blow of the battle. The force of the blow sent The Dark Lord flying forward. Using the force, he caught himself in the air and landed firmly on the ground. He turned to Riku, who was ready for Vader's next move. Instead of acting, Vader merely spoke, "That Keyblade, its power is incredible. Does it have a name?"

Riku glanced at his blade, "Yeah. It's called Braveheart."

Vader smiled (not that Riku could see), "A fine name for a fine weapon." Vader closed his retracted his Lightsaber. He closed his eyes and lifted his arms into the air, the ground around himself and Riku began to crack. The Keyblade Wielder jumped back to avoid the rising chunks of ground. Massive portions of the ground rose into the air, they surrounded Vader who began hurling them at Riku. He advanced, jumping into the air, he landed on the top of one of the pieces of ground and leaped to the next. Flipping over, he pushed his body off the next piece and towards another, which he stepped off to leap over the smaller portions of debris. The final, and largest, piece was thrown at him. It was huge, thicker than tall but still one of the biggest stalactites he'd seen. Riku raised Braveheart and crashed it into the stalactite, breaking it into a thousand pieces. He landed in front of Vader, a look of anger adorning his face. He lunged forward, aiming for Vader's chest. The Sith Lord held out his hand and stopped Riku before he could touch him. The Master held his hand to his throat, he felt the air being released from his lungs but nothing new entering. The pain was unbearable as he was held in the air and slowly suffocated. He clawed at his neck, gasping for any amount of air he could. His face began to turn blue and he could feel his eyes begin to bulge.

With what he assumed would be his last bit of air, he uttered one word, "...stopza…"

In a flash of black, the world around Riku stopped dead in its tracks. He fell to the ground, holding his throat and gasping for air. He managed to stand, leaning hard on Braveheart and coughing violently. The Dark Lord in front of him was frozen in place, his hand still in the air. Riku kicked Vader in the chest, sending his lifeless, frozen body flying away. Riku, breathlessly moved toward Vader, he walked past him about fifteen feet. He slammed the end of his key into the ground and leaned on it, still breathing heavily. The Keyblade Master looked down at the man in black armour. The armour was clearly made for intimidation factor, if Riku hadn't stared into the eyes of a madman bent on setting off a war that could have potentially destroyed the multiverse, the armour would have worked. He moved, slowly, toward the The Dark Lord of The Sith. He squatted down next to him and took hold of his helmet, he pulled the top off before doing the same to the mask. What he saw made his eyes widen in horror. A man, grey skinned and covered in burns. He looked as though he had been doused in lava and burned alive. The burns were old, 20 years at most he reckoned. Riku questioned how Anakin was even alive with wounds as bad as this, and this was only on his face and head. Riku couldn't stand to look at the pitiful visage of Darth Vader and reattached his helmet. Riku moved back toward Braveheart, now having fully recovered his breath. It was a good thing too, as the spell had worn off as he'd reached his blade. Riku turned to find Vader standing and looking at him.

The Young Master grimaced, "How are you alive, Lord Vader?"

Vader stared coldly at Riku, "I see you have observed… what I truly am."

Riku nodded, "Yeah. The pain must be excruciating."

Vader didn't reply, he merely ignited his blade. His anger rose at the mention of his scarring, it became visible as the Force particles began to swell around him. The ground began to crack once again and rocks circled around Vader. He composed himself, anger made a Sith stronger, but too much would cloud their judgement. Darth Maul had learned that lesson the hard way. The two titans of power stared each other down, both Master in their own right. The Sith Lord: Darth Vader and the The Keyblade Master: Riku of Destiny Islands.

Riku dashed forward, flipping over Vader and slashing at him with Braveheart in the process. Vader parried the blow and swung heavily at the side of Riku's neck, who ducked under the slash. He landed a heel kick on Vader's control panel, who let out a hard grunt from the blow. Vader twirled the saber and aimed it downward, he thrust it downward - aiming for Riku's leg. The Keyblade Master twisted his body upright and fell to the ground with his legs spread open. Vader's blow missed the mark and hit the ground. As quick as his armour would allow, he pulled the saber out the ground and thrust toward Riku's chest.

In desperation, Riku expended all his magic in one move, "NullAll!" Just as the saber made contact with Riku's chest, the blade was stopped in its tracks. Vader pressed forward but nothing happened, his anger rose again as he saw Riku's smug smirk. He held out his hand and lifted The Keyblade Master into the air, he slammed him into the ground - but Riku didn't react at all. The Dark Lord began to choke The Keyblade Master but it yet again had no effect. He dropped Riku to the ground who continued to smirk at the enraged Sith Lord. He dashed forward with Braveheart in hand and landed strike into Vader's side causing sparks to fly. Vader retaliated fast as he punched Riku in the kidney while his guard was down. He followed up with strike to his chest which had no effect, again with strike to the face which again, had no effect. Finally, he struck to the side which left a deep cloterised cut in Riku's waist.

Riku dashed back,_ 'Damn. The spell wore off that quickly? I'll be magicless for the next two minutes.'_

Riku breathed deeply, he held his blade to the sky and summoned a great beam of light to the end of his blade. The light imbued his blade and it began to shine. Riku took his stance and stood his ground. Vader advanced forward, he clashed his blade against Riku's cause a massive explosion of light which blinded both combatants. They both stepped back to regain their sight. Vader recovered quicker due to the protection of his eyes, he held out his hand and grabbed Braveheart with the force. He pulled it out of Riku's hand and into his own. Much to his surprise, Riku ran forward with reckless abandon. Vader was caught off guard when Braveheart suddenly left his hand and appeared in Riku's. He swung it at The Sith Lord's head and landed a powerful blow, sending Vader flying to the left. Vader caught himself in midair, however he was not without injury. His helmet's left half had shattered, revealing the left half of his face. Vader was in pain, agony, unbelievable and excruciating pain that any normal man couldn't handle.

But not him, no, the pain only served to make him stronger. Vader closed the gap between the two, swinging his Saber from the right. Blocked. The left. Blocked. This time, Vader swung from the right, only to stop and swing from overhead - catching Riku in the shoulder. Riku jumped back, he held his blade out toward Vader and fired a beam of light at the dark armoured man. Vader, using tutaminis, blocked the light with his hand. Riku calmed himself, he was becoming rash. He stood in place.

Vader looked around, he noticed that Riku stood in front of the Rebel hanger. Vader extinguished his blade, he held out two arms and focused. Using his pain, his fear, his anger, his abilities were only heightened - the base behind Riku began to crumble at the supports. The Keyblade Master turned, only to find that the hanger in the middle of Yavin 4 was slowly being lifted from the ground and was coming toward him at a startling speed. He stood his ground. As the hanger approached him, faster and faster, he jumped upwards and completely cleared the building - landing behind it, he took a page from Sora's book. With three large strikes, the building was cut into pieces. This did not deter Vader however, who sent the now broken pieces of building hurtling at Riku. The Master managed to destroy the first piece but the second, third and so on came far too fast to stop. He was struck by rock after rock, metal after metal. Sent flying back to where the hanger used to be, he was surrounded by exploding unused or broken ships all of which were being destroyed by the debris or crashing into each other. Riku stabbed Braveheart into the ground and erected a shield of light. Through the flames he saw the black silhouette of Vader casually strolling through to reach him.

Two minutes.

Riku held his blade to the sky, "Waterza!"

A massive ball of water came flying down from the clouds, bringing a rainstorm with it - extinguishing the flames. Vader stood in the pouring rain, awaiting his opponents approach. Riku done just that. He and Vader had a final bout of staring before Vader spoke, "Your skills are formidable, boy."

"As are yours, Lord Vader."

Vader tightened his grip on the crimson Lightsaber, "I see no reason to continue this duel. Let us end this, Keyblade Master."

Riku smiled, "I was thinking the same thing."

The two titans respected one another but not enough for one or the other to retreat. This duel would end one way or another, with one of them dead. Riku sped forward, clashing with Vader's Saber. The Sith Lord pushed forward, his superior strength winning over Riku's. He managed to break Riku's guard and land a blow on his left arm. The Keyblade Master quickly retreated, closing in from the side. Vader turned to parry the incoming blow, but as he swung his sword, there was no one there. Merely and afterimage. Vader let out an audible grunt when he felt the large blunt Key smash into his back. He turned to find Riku with a look of anger stretched across his face, his eyes flaring orange - much like his own. It was like he had tapped into the dark side of the force… only this was different. Too different. Riku flew back into the air, bat wings sprouting from his back. He held his hand into the air and clicked his fingers. Vader felt fear once again as the sun was blotted out by sheer darkness, many small but ever growing drops of darkness smashing into the ground.

Had Vader still been Anakin, he might have been dexterous enough to avoid them all - but Anakin he was no longer. Vader took some heavy blows from the balls of darkness. The rain of darkness became heavier, much to the ire of Lord Vader. The Dark Lord held his hands to the sky, a vortex of blue swirled around his palms. The darkness was absorbed into the vortex, his mastery over tutaminis allowed The Sith Lord to stop any incoming darkness. He moved his hands toward Riku and sent the darkness back at him. Riku retaliated by dispelling the darkness around him and replacing it with light, he held out his hand and erected a wall of light. The darkness dissolved at the lights touch. Riku flew at Vader, grabbing his head and smashing it into the ground. Vader repulsed, sending Riku flying back into the air. The Dark Lord caught Riku in the air, he held him in place.

Vader began to close his fist, "Your skills were incredible, young Master. But now this duel is over."

Riku began to scream, he felt his organs rupturing and slowly collapsing. The choke almost felt like mercy. He couldn't breathe, nor could he feel any of his limbs. He could feel the blood spurt from his organs, he felt every single second as they began to shrink from the pressure. He felt a sharp pain in his chest as his heart slowly came to stop. The Keyblade Master had one final ace up his sleeve.

In a pitiful attempt at speech, he spoke one word. One terrifying word, "...ul...ti...ma…"

What followed was a harrowing experience for Vader. A kind of pain that could only be described as agonising. An agonising, truly horrendous pain. As the ball of light that left Riku's hand touched the ground, Vader wondered what such a small insignificant speck of power could do. Only to feel it. To truly feel the same pain he felt on Mustafar, that feeling and smell of flesh melting, the intense heat was even worse, Vader would say as hot as the sun. But it wasn't fire. No. It was light. Pure, white-hot light. It sent Vader flying across the runway, into the debris of what used to be the hanger.

The Keyblade Master fell to the ground, clutching his stomach. He could feel the blood filling his body, he had minutes at most, seconds at least. He reached into his pocket, in agonizing pain and pulled out a yellow, crystalised ball with a point on the top. He crushed it in his hand, causing a swirl of red energy to surround his body. Riku got up from the ground with ease, his wounds healed and his spirit revitalized. He looked over to where the hanger used to be. There he saw flames, destruction and the wreckage of the remaining ships that were the cause of the fire and explosions. There was a black silhouette walking through the flames at a frightening pace. Those orange eyes reminded Riku of horrors he faced against Xehanort. The infinite darkness, his own betrayal… his death. Riku walked forward, matching Vader's pace.

Vader's pain was unfelt. His rage, his pain, his passion and his hate, it swelled inside him. His power surged and the pain went away, all that mattered was the man in front of him. Welding that damn Key. With his smug look. Vader's grip tightened on his Lightsaber, holding it in both hands. He felt the pain of his exposed skin to the air, the respirator slowly losing power and the shaking rage flowing through his body. Vader threw his Lightsaber at Riku, pushing it forward with the Force. The Keyblade Master batted it out of midair, prompting Lord Vader to pull it back. Using his free hand, he tore the ground from beneath Riku's feet. The Dark Lord tore two massive stalactites from the ground and pushed them together, Riku still in between them. The Master held them apart as long as he could, he felt the bones in his arms creaking. He closed his eyes, the bat wings sprouted from his back and he flew upward - narrowly avoiding the stalactites. Riku blazed forward, clashing blades with Vader. The Dark Lord pushed back and swung at Riku's head, The Keyblade Master dodged and kicked back, gaining distance.

Riku took his stance, "Bladecharge!"

Braveheart was engulfed in a bright blue energy, his Key taking the for of a long blade, taller than the hulking Vader. Riku dashed forward, clashing again with Vader, only this time he easily broke Vader's guard. As he was about to swing again, The Dark Lord caught The Keyblade Master in the air. He slammed him down onto the ground. Then again. And again. And again. Riku felt his skin tear off and the concussion slowly building as his head was repeatedly slammed off the ground. Vader stopped and threw Riku into the newly flaming ruins of the hanger. A few seconds passed before Vader heard an angry voice.

"Aeroza!" A tornado of epic proportions erupted in the middle of the flames, forcing them out.

From the now extinguished flames appeared The Keyblade Master, his Bladecharged Braveheart still in hand. This time he kept his distance from The Sith Lord but still swung. The sheer length of his blade giving him the advantage, he swung from random directions in hope to catch Vader off guard. It wasn't enough, Vader's unique style was too much for Riku to break easily. Realising that swordplay even at this length wasn't enough, Riku slammed his blade into the ground, causing a massive shockwave of light to engulf much of the surrounding area.

It didn't matter to Vader however, who merely erected a shield with the force. He noticed that Braveheart was no longer extended with that energy. He took advantage of this and closed the gap, Vader feigned a sword swing with one arm and used the other to punch Riku in the face. He continued his physical onslaught yet another punch followed up by a brutal headbutt to his nose, breaking it and causing the Master to fall backwards. Vader wasted no time and picked up a massive piece of ground and held it above Riku, slamming it down. Using on his legs, he held against the pressure of the force. The task was daunting, he as though his legs were about to snap at any moment.

Realising it was his only option, Riku spoke another spell, again draining him of his magic. "Zero Graviga!" The humongous rock became weightless and flew in midair, as did Vader. Riku sprang up from the ground and grabbed Vader by the neck, he slammed him back down to the ground. His breathing became heavy, the concussion was beginning to affect him and the blood pouring from his head wounds wasn't helping the situation. He raised his fist and brought it down, it lacked power and moved slowly allowing The Dark Lord to catch it and throw the The Keyblade Master off him.

Vader got to his feet quickly, seeing that Riku was still on the ground clutching his head, he grasped The Master with the force and pulled him face to face with The Dark Lord of the Sith. Vader pressed his Lightsaber against Riku's abdomen and ignited it. He dragged the blade through Riku's torso and out his waist, erecting a massive scream from The Keyblade Master. Vader let the boy fall to the ground, he didn't move, merely lay there barely clinging on to life. His eyes half closed, the light slowly leaving his eyes.

Vader let out a particularly raspy breath, "I can see the light leave your eyes, Master Riku. You were formidable." Vader sheathed his blade and began to walk toward his shuttle.

Riku twitched.

'I can see the light leave your eyes.'

'...light leave your eyes…

'...light...leave…'

The sky went dark once again, Vader felt a jolt of fear run through his body. He turned to Riku who was barely standing, a pillar of darkness erupting from his body. As he stepped forward the ground cracked beneath him, a dark cloud festered around his wounds and removed the pain. The Keyblade Master began to levitate, he disappeared. Vader was caught off-guard when he felt a sharp pain hit his back, sending him flying into the air. He saw the source come flying toward him from the front, he was hit again, just as hard. And again, from a new direction. And again. And again. It didn't stop. It kept going and going. The final blow was landed to the torso, smashing Vader into the ground and causing a shockwave of darkness. Riku jumped back, breathing heavily. His vision partially obscured by blood in his eyes.

He screamed with all his remaining energy, "It's over! Stay down, Anakin!" Riku couldn't stay on his feet, he fell on his behind.

Vader was in much the same condition, his armour was far too damaged for him to continue. His stamina was spent and he was very close to death, he had not the energy to feel. He could not muster the hate, nor could he bring himself to feel fear. He merely lay on the ground, unable to care. As he felt the approach of death, he felt content that he would be able to see Padmè again…

He felt his body lift off the ground, two pairs of hands. One on his wrists and the other on his ankles, there was chattering about getting him to safety and repairing his armour. It wasn't long before he felt himself on a soft medbay bed and the loud roaring engines of a space shuttle. He cursed the stormtroopers who found him, he would be saved and back to full capacity in a few months, back to his pain and suffering. Away from Padmè's sweet embrace.

On the other hand, Riku crawled along the asphalt ground. Desperately clinging to life. Despite not actually bleeding from his worst wound, he felt as though he would die at any minute. The Keyblade Masters thoughts fell to his friends, Sora, Kairi, Mickey, Xion, Aqua, Ventus, Terra, Roxas and Axel. They might never know if he died here, it's not like he could easily…

'I'm an idiot.'

With every piece of strength left in him, Riku pulled his Gummi Phone from his pocket. Placing it on the ground, he scrolled through his contacts and clicked on Mickey. The King picked up rather quickly, "Riku?"

Riku mustered up any remaining strength to speak, "...yavin-4… help me…"

The King hung up quickly. All Riku could do now was wait and cling to life. He knew deep down he probably wouldn't survive, he cursed Vader with all his heart. But deep down, he cursed himself. He had underestimated The Sith Lord and paid the price, paid the ultimate price. He paid with his life. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the blinding sun, which seemed… brighter than usual. Strange. It was almost as if it was getting brighter… and closer. And closer. It was blinding. The next thing The Keyblade Master saw was a silhouette of a small mouse. He smiled and closed his eyes…

**Hi. So thanks for reading. Tbh, I was just gonna make this a big one-shot about Sora and Riku during A New Hope but I feel like this was better, plus I was more motivated to do it. Something I seriously lack for this stuff is motivation, I'm lazy af tbh. So I'll be doing one-shots in my spare time and posting them. That's it. No big story's, no nothing. I just can't follow through. So thanks for reading, please leave constructive criticism. I enjoyed writing this so I'll have something soon. Any suggestions for stuff like this is appreciated. **


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